Once Upon A Time High
by super-sirius-saves-the-day
Summary: Join your favorite disney characters as they embark throughout high school with the motto "Making dreams a reality since 1888" and journey with them as they discover if the motto is true. Belle has just moved from France and is rather anxious about beginning in a new place, Charming has stretched himself too thin and is at the breaking point, and much more. (MOST ships are canon)
1. Chapter 1

_**BELLE**_

"Once Upon A Time High: Making dreams a reality since 1888" Belle read the brochure for the local private school dubiously. It seemed like such a cliché motto, the kind that guaranteed that the school wouldn't be particularly good. It seemed like a school where anyone could go, so long as they had a plump wallet, one where misbehavior could be covered up with some cold, hard cash. Of course, she would find out soon enough exactly what the school was like as her father had just gotten a teaching job there. The two had just moved from France and her Papa was thrilled to be working as the Woodshop teacher. They weren't a wealthy family but, with her father's new job and Belle's grades, the school had happily given her a scholarship. She pulled her skirt down slightly, thoroughly uncomfortable with its short length. She straightened her black tie and reached into her ragged messenger bag. She felt her fingers grace the cover of her favorite book and sighed in relief. She wouldn't have been able to start the day without it.

"Courage, ce n'est pas si terrible" she muttered to herself. It was an expression that she often told herself before social situations. She believed that it translated to "courage is not so terrible". Belle had never been chatty or at ease with large groups of people. She preferred to watch-to observe life and create her own realties-rather than join in.

However, as soon as she stepped inside the tall school building, she knew that it would be nearly impossible to avoid her classmates. There were just so many of them. She was nearly knocked over by a tall, handsome boy the moment she stepped inside. Although a tall, handsome man was probably a more appropriate description. With chin length dark hair, clear blue eyes, and devilish grin, it was easy to see that he was one of the most attractive men she had ever met. However, his hulking build and brutish smile made her wildly ill at ease.

"Pardon me," She stuttered, the English phrase feeling unfamiliar on her tongue even though she was nearly fluent, her accent thick.

"Any day," He said charmingly, flashing a winning grin, as the socially awkward girl scurried towards the front office. It took her a moment to locate her destination and was very grateful once she did. The office was painted a dull cream color and was home to a long brown desk and stacks of filing cabinets just as every good office should.

'Excuse me," She said timidly, peering over the desk into a seemingly empty room, that is, until a stout woman with loose white bun and warm smile popped up in front of her.

"Hello dear," the woman answered distractedly as she blindly ran her hands over her desk. Belle spotted a pair of red-framed glasses and quickly handed them to the woman.

"Here you go, Madame," She was rewarded with a class schedule and a chocolate bar.

"Thank you, Belle Spirituel," She looked at the girl to confirm that she had handed her the right schedule," Call me Mrs. Potts. Now, you should best be getting off to class, don't hesitate to come back if you have any questions." The woman finished kindly and watched over the tip of her spectacles as the beautiful girl walked back to the main hall apprehensively. She was looking at the school map trying to locate her first class when she felt another person bump into her.

"Terribly sorry," A slender girl with long dark hair apologized, "Are you new?" Belle blushed despite the fact that it was a rather reasonable question.

"Is it that obvious?" She smiled at the copper skinned girl who returned the gesture. She gently pulled her schedule out of her hands and located her first class.

"A little, let's see, you have AP calculus with Miss Boo. So do I, I'll walk you there." She started to lead the girl to the classroom silently. Standing next to the almost stoic young woman, Belle felt some of her anxieties about sticking out melt away. So far, everyone she had encountered had been kind to her.

"So are you a senior?" Her walking companion asked her, curiously.

"No, I'm a junior. I'm Belle," She introduced herself. The girl looked at her again, slightly dumbfounded.

"Wow, you're in so many advanced classes. Anyways, I'm Pocahontas, although most call me Poca, and I'm a senior." They had just reached the classroom and Belle snagged a seat in the back, thankful that Pocahontas sat down beside her. The other seats near her were soon occupied by a couple of the girl's friends. One was a fair skinned girl with short, curly blonde hair who seemed to ooze excitement and flair while the other had dark skin and wispy black hair that was pulled back into a ponytail. She was shocked by how beautiful and kind the three girls were.

"Hello Sugar," The blonde began in Southern drawl, "I'm Lottie, and you are?" She asked interestedly. Belle introduced herself and noticed that her accent seemed to fascinate the two girls.

"I'm Tia-well Tiana- but just about everyone calls me Tia. Are you French? We're from New Orleans so we speak a bit." The dark skinned beauty explained. Belle nodded quietly, she found that she was comfortable among her new friends.

"Hello class," A chubby old woman with a round face and blue cloak-like jacket greeted her students, "I'm Mrs. Bippety Boppity Boo-I understand that it's rather long and almost cartoon-sounding so please call me Mrs. Boo-I hope that we will have an excellent year. Please direct your attention to the projector so we can begin." The class passed by uneventfully and Belle felt as though a large weight had been lifted off her shoulders as the hour wore on. She had expected a less than satisfactory first day and had been pleasantly surprised by the normalcy of her new American school.

She received directions from Poca to her next class and promised to sit with them at lunch. Belle darted down the hallway to her locker so that she could put away some books when she spotted someone looking at her from across the hall. It was the dark haired boy from earlier and she quickly threw her books, making a large thud in the metal storage compartment. However, she was not quick enough to escape the boy as he approached her.

"So we meet again," he boomed, towering over the averagely small brunette. He was in awe of her beauty and immediately began to hit on the shy girl.

"Um, yes," She faltered, her English failing her in her moment of need. She felt so nervous in the man's presence and wished that she could escape to the library-though she did not know where it was yet.

"So, you're Belle, the new girl from France?" He continued without waiting for a response, which in Belle's opinion was a good thing because she wouldn't have been able to speak anyways, "I'm Gaston and I would be overjoyed to show you around school," He flirted. Feeling trapped, Belle ducked under a toned arm and dashed to her classroom, leaving a confused teen in her midst. But Gaston's confusion soon turned into desire as her skirt hitched slightly in the back. He resolved to woo the quiet girl, whatever the cost. He doubted it would be difficult, after all, he was Gaston Salaud, the king of Once Upon A Time High, and he was excellent at making his dreams a reality.

She had just stepped inside the English room when the warning bell rang and she quickly snagged a seat near the front. English was her favorite subject and she had been placed in a senior class due to her previous school. In France, the curriculum was quite different and she had covered much of the material that kids in American schools would in their junior year. Of course, the books weren't the same but Belle had taken it upon herself to over prepare and had been too prepared to attend the same classes as most students her age. She pulled a blue spiral notebook and pen out of her bag and placed them on the desk in front of her, eagerly awaiting the beginning of class. Unfortunately for Belle-but to the pleasure of every other student in the room- the teacher was nearly twenty minutes late to class. At he fifteen minute mark, she noticed that many of the students stood up and left. Apparently after fifteen minutes without a teacher, a class was turned into a free period. But Belle refused to leave the one class that she had been looking forward to without seeing the teacher first. By the time an older, cruel looking teacher appeared, only three students remained: an athletic boy with short dark hair, an exotic looking girl with vivid green eyes that seemed to glow and thick, wavy black hair, and Belle.

"I see that everyone else has already left. My name is Master- excuse me- Mr. Frollo. Will you all please take out _The Scarlet Letter _so we can begin?" He was dressed in dark pants and an equally dark shirt with a white priest's collar. Everything about the man intimidated Belle but she quickly complied with his request. After they had all opened their books, he told them to read in a group of three and left the classroom, claiming he required the restroom. Skeptical that their teacher would return before the classroom ended, the three moved their desks so that they sat in a triangle.

"Je never even called attendance," The boy sighed, "Hey, are you the new girl?" He asked Belle, a little excitement in his voice.

"Yes, I'm Belle." She informed them both before the enchanting girl spoke.

"Hello Belle, I'm Esmeralda, which I know is a mouthful, But I'm not one for nicknames. And this dreamy lad," she winked jokingly, "Is Damon Charm, although he is a nickname kind of guy, so most call him Charming." She was so kind and open that Belle found herself quickly comfortable with the enchanting girl. Instead of reading, the three decided to chat the entire class period and Belle was pleasantly surprised at how well she got along with the very different individuals, She began to open up and participated fully in the conversation.

"So Charming, what do you do?" She inquired after Esmeralda finished talking about her dance team and her aspiration to become a professional performer.

"Basketball, soccer, and track." He smiled and went on to describe the rush of making a basket or scoring a goal. In fact, he was so excited to have a captivated audience as he spoke about sports that he forgot to mention he was the student body president.

"Yeah, Charming here, is the real deal. He's practically a prince," Esmeralda teased, nudging the blushing boy. Although she would never have suspected it, it was quite easy to tell that the two were best friends and she felt herself quickly becoming close with them as well.

"So, when do you turn eighteen?" Charming asked near the end of the class period. He and Esmeralda had just been talking about the freedom that came along with adulthood and how much they craved it.

"Actually, I just turned seventeen last month. I was supposed to be a junior and I guess that I am, in a way. I'm just a junior in all senior classes," She giggled slightly at how ridiculous her last statement sounded.

"Damn girl, you must be a genius," The green eyed girl commented and Bell shrugged, flattered. She was sad to leave her new friends when the bell rang, signaling the end of class, but got both of their numbers and promised to meet up with them the next day after school. As they were leaving the classroom, Esmeralda noticed Belle's irritation with her skirt and took her to the bathroom to help her with it. She had Belle remove the skirt and wait in a stall while she ripped open the seem at the bottom so that is was three or four inches longer before whipping out a needle and thread and hemming it half an inch.

"Thank you so much," Belle cried with delight when she saw that her skirt now reached the top of her knees.

"Just a little Home Economics magic for you," Her friend winked before walking her to the lunch room. While she would have loved to sit with Charming and Esmeralda in the cafeteria or outside on the lawn where she saw so many eating, she had promised to meet up with the girls from her math class and wasn't one to break promises.

She spotted Poca, Lottie, and Tia in the back of the lunch line and waved to them. They gestured for her to join them even though she had pulled out a brown paper bag that held her lunch. She hurried over to them and stood next to Poca, her lunch still in hand.

"How was English? I hear that Frollo is an absolute nightmare," Lottie gushed dramatically.

"It was pretty nice, but it's not like we saw much of the teacher." She proceeded to recount her class, smiling as she mentioned meeting Charming and Esmeralda.

"It sounds like you had more fun than a barrel of monkeys," Tiana laughed when she saw Belle's puzzled expression, "It's an American saying, honey. It means you had a good time." Belle smiled because it was true: she was thoroughly enjoying her first day at school and thought that maybe, just maybe, the school motto had it right. Maybe Once Upon A Time High would make her dreams a reality. After the girls had finished purchasing their lunches, they all walked outside and sat down on the grass near a tall tree. It was a comfortable spot and Belle could tell that it would be the perfect place to read afterschool. She reached into her bag and gripped her book again, pleased as punch at how her day was going. At least she was until she went to throw away her empty lunch bag and accidentally bumped into a boy. He was tall and muscled with long gingery blonde hair and a surly expression.

"Watch where you're going," He said darkly before leaving her alone by the trash can. For some reason, the anger he seemed to hold inside terrified Belle and she was still shaken up when she returned to her friends.

"What was that about?" Poca looked slightly concerned. The French girl explained what had happened before reaching into her bag again and squeezing her book comfortingly. She had just begun to feel completely comfortable at the school, but now her confidence was shaken.

"Oh, don't mind him, Sugar, that's Adam Bête," Lottie said soothingly and Belle felt a small chuckle escape her.

"What?" Lottie demanded, befuddled by the new girl's sudden change in demeanor.

"Well, in French, _Bête _means _Beast._" The others joined in her laughter and soon the lunch period was over. Belle was beginning to be able to navigate the halls without getting hopelessly lost and walked herself to French. She sat down in a seat near the front and waited for Monsieur Lumiere to arrive. He walked in just as the bell rang and walked swiftly to the blackboard.

"Bonjour," he greeted the class and told them to pair up with the person next to them and spend a couple minutes talking about their summers so that they could get it out of their systems. Belle looked the empty seat that should have contained her partner and sighed before turning towards another pair. She had just joined in on the conversation when she heard someone clear his or her throat behind her.

"Yes?" She spun around to ask the person what he or she required when she realized it was Adam Bête.

"I believe we're partners," He said coldly and looked at her expectantly, "Are you going to tell me about your summer?" Belle was a pretty patient person but this "Beast" was starting to get on her nerves and she forgot her shyness for a moment in order to snap at him,

"Pardonnez-moi, did I offend you in some way?" Her accent thick and her tone sharp. Adam simply glared at her before pulling out a pen and drawing a peculiar shape on his hand. He kept it out of her sight but she attempted to catch a glimpse of it nonetheless. The class wore on and Belle was called on several times to answer a question, which she did with ease, after all, French was her first language. As the class continued, Adam struggled with his accent and verb choice, making him even surlier and ever so interested in his drawing. Thankfully, the class was soon over and Belle was able to leave class, but not before seeing Adam's pen tattoo. He had drawn a single rose into the palm of his hand and made the thorns wind up his forearm where they appeared to draw blood. She had to admit, he was really talented. She considered telling him so but the intimidating teen pushed past her and into the hallway as soon as he could.

"Faldi Faldonza," a tall tan teen next to her remarked, "I wonder what's got his goat, you're Belle right?" She nodded, unsure and slightly alarmed that he knew who she was.

"Yes," He answered hesitantly, fiddling with the bottom of her grey uniform sweater.

"Oh, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to startle you. I'm Naveen Prinz," he introduced himself, his interesting accent becoming apparent, "Oh I'm from Maldonia, in case you were wondering," he gestured in a way that indicated that people were constantly asking him what his nationality was, "Anyways, Charming told me to find you because you have Marine Biology with Ms. Lagoon as well." He smiled charmingly and I grinned back. There was a charismatic air about the handsome senior that made me quickly comfortable with him. We walked over to the classroom together, along the way, talking about Maldonia and France.. He said that he had transferred in his sophomore year and hadn't been able to speak a word of English.

"I thought _pencil_ meant _teacher _for the first sixth months which made everyone think that I was an oddball. I would always be late to class and as I rushed in I would ask _Is the pencil here yet?_ And they would all look at me like I was nuts because, of course, there were many pencils in attendance." I laughed with him, eternally grateful that my father had enrolled me in a English immersion school back in France because, while everyone spoke a little English, I would surely sound like a crazy person without being forced to speak the language every day at school for ten years. Marine Biology passed by without commotion. The teacher was a rather unpleasant woman whom everyone called "Cursula" under his or her breath, but otherwise, the class passed by uneventfully. I exchange numbers with Naveen as well and walked home, full of hope for the school year. I worked quickly and diligently and finished my homework in a little over an hour before I sat out our- new to us but rather old in general- porch swing with my book in hand. I flipped the battered pages rapidly, so caught up in the enthralling story, that I almost didn't notice my ringing phone. I fumbled to open it for a moment but managed to answer just before what would have been the final ring.

"Hello," I said, my voice turning up at the end.

"Belle, it's Esmeralda, how do you feel about scavenger hunts?"

_**A/N:**_

_**Hey Guys,**_

_**So, basically, this a story about Disney characters in high school, which I know is an overused idea, but it's just such a fun idea so bear with me. I originally tried to write a story about these characters at Hogwarts but realized that there were many flaws in my plotline so I'm starting fresh. I'm not sure how regular my updates will be but I will try to get a new chapter up every couple days. I will be changing the view point often because I have a lot of characters that I want to focus on. While everyone seems to be a senior at this point, with the exception of Belle, I'm planning to make several characters freshmen, sophomores, and juniors as well. Please let me know what you think of it so far below and tell me what book you think would be Belle's favorite. I already have one in mind but I'm curious to hear what you all think the bookworm would enjoy.**_

_**Much Love,**_

_**-SSSTD**_


	2. Chapter 2

_**CHARMING**_

Damon Charm was never completely relaxed; he had too many responsibilities and impossible expectations to live up to. However, there were two people who made him feel like a normal teenager. Esmeralda Courageux and Naveen Grenouille were two of the best friends anyone could hope to acquire and he was eternally grateful to have them in his life. Especially when they came up with ideas for cutting loose and acting their age, after all, they weren't even eighteen yet. It was the first night of the school year and Charming could already feel himself losing motivation to be the person everyone hoped he would be when he received a text from Naveen.

_Meet us at the park in fifteen minutes. Pick up Belle first. _

Charming read the text and was immediately curious. He wanted to know what Naveen had planned, why he needed to bring the new French transfer student, and where she lived so that he could fulfill his friend's orders.

_Address?_

Moments later, he had a text from Naveen and got up to pick up Bell Spirituel for what would, without a doubt, be a very fun night. He was surprised to discover that Belle lived only a couple of blocks away from him. When he reached the cozy, little home, he saw the girl seated on a worn down porch swing with her cell phone in hand, talking animatedly to someone. He decided to give her a moment to notice him. She was undeniably gorgeous, a fact which she appeared oblivious to. She had beautiful brown hair that extended a couple inches past her shoulder, warm chocolate colored eyes, and an enchanting smile that seemed to radiate sincerity. To top it all off, she had a well hidden body that would make a super model jealous with curves in all of the right places. Despite her dazzling appearance, he didn't find himself drawn to the studious girl in a romantic way. He wanted to destroy her fears and make her more comfortable in her own skin. When Belle failed to notice him after several minutes, he honked the horn of his car, alerting her of his presence. Her cheeks flushed crimson as she rushed towards the car and hopped into the passenger seat.

"I can't believe we're going on a scavenger hunt," She exclaimed excitedly and Charming felt slightly jealous.

"He told you what we're doing?" He asked incredulously. He had been friends with the guy since the second week of their sophomore year and was still left in the dark, which was understandable if one knew Naveen. What puzzled the handsome senior was his friend's sudden change in personality. The Maldonian took great pleasure in shrouding activities with mystery; he believed that it increased the excitement and enjoyment.

"He? Esmeralda called and invited me," She explained and, suddenly, it all made sense. His nickname-detesting friend was a more reasonable person who understood that most people needed a little information before jumping into something headfirst.

"Did she say who else was coming?" He inquired, but she simply shook her head and placed her cell in a ratty messenger bag, which was covered in an assortment of patches. He had noticed her with it at school and decided that, while it wasn't in the best condition, he liked it. It seemed like it was loved and served its purpose, which-as far as Damon Charm was concerned- were the only two requirements something needed to be special.

They had just arrived at the park and he was shocked to see a little over twenty students gathered there. They appeared to be mainly seniors with a few juniors sprinkled in the mix.

"Let's go," Belle said excitedly, albeit quietly, and unbuckled before jumping out of the car and rushing over to meet with her new friends. It seemed like such a distinct change from the introverted girl he had met earlier that day.

"So, Charming, do you want to be on my team?" A red headed junior asked excitedly. She was standing next to her older, more reserved sister who was laughing, not unkindly, at her sister's excess energy.

"Anna, leave the poor guy alone. We already have a team of four. Remember, you just asked Hans to join us?" Elsa Arendelle teased. Anna blushed and smiled apologetically at Charming before turning towards her teammates and talking strategy. The poor guy in question laughed at her antics and smiled gratefully towards her platinum blonde sister before making his way over towards Esmeralda, Belle, and Naveen. The three were discussing something, most likely a game plan, in hushed tones.

"Faldi Faldonza! That sure took you long enough!" Naveen exclaimed and Charming smiled sheepishly. He still wasn't quite sure exactly what _Faldi Faldonza_ meant but his friend seemed to find it applicable in almost any situation.

"Okay, so here's the list of things we need to find. It says that we just have to take a photo with at least two of us in it." Naveen explained. Apparently his friend, Phoebus, had set the whole thing up. I took the list from him, reading the items.

"Bro, these aren't items these are tasks," I pointed out. It describe all sorts of activities ranging from jumping rope with shoelaces to climbing a tree to kissing someone else with rocks balanced on your heads.

"Do we really have to do all of this stuff?" Belle asked nervously, biting her lower lip.

"Hell yeah, the prize is a free prom bid for everyone on a team and a prepaid limo for the night." Naveen said excitedly, no doubt already picturing himself in a tuxedo. Esmeralda took the list, reading the first item of fifteen aloud,

"Switch outfits with someone from the opposite gender. Okay, that's easy. Naveen get naked, you're going to trade with me," She said seriously and Charming doubled over in laughter at the expression on his friend's face. He looked so creeped out and frightened of his best female friend.

"Dude, you're so screwed," He taunted him.

"Alright, wise guy, you strip instead." Belle fixed Charming with a bossy look that assured him that he would either comply with her demand or pay the price.

"Does this mean I don't have to?" Naveen asked hopefully, but was quickly shot down by the shy brunette who informed the group that everyone would be changing. They strolled over to Naveen's car so that the girls could change inside and, slowly, Naveen and Charming surrendered their clothes. However, the girls were quick to strip and, moments after the boys had tossed their clothes into the car, each had a handful of fabric thrust into his bare arms. Charming assessed the articles in his arms and groaned; he hadn't really paid attention to Belle's outfit before and, now, was rather jealous of Naveen. He was wearing a loose, low-cut, white blouse and a knee length purple skirt, a green scarf tied around his waist as a belt of sorts. Esmeralda had always been an eclectic dresser, "honoring her gypsy roots" as she so eloquently put it. Charming was clad in a pair of dark blue skinny jeans that wouldn't button and reached only a few inches past his knee. He was also wearing a white long sleeve shirt with a pink flower design that was stretched so tightly across his chest that it appeared as if it would split. The girls looked like a couple of eleven year olds who aspired to be rappers. The guys' jeans were knotted in the waist but still barely hung onto their hips and their shirts reached mid-thigh-not that you could tell because of how baggy the pants were. They quickly got a passerby to take a photo of them before Charming began to beg for my clothes back.

"Please, give me back my jeans," He pleaded with Belle. He would have dropped to his knees but the pants would not permit such a movement.

"You know, I'm digging these threads," Naveen smiled as he twirled around, the purple skirt fluttering with the motion.

"I'll give you back your pants," Belle haggled, "But I'm keeping the shirt." He glared at her but she wouldn't budge. With a heavy sigh, Charming took off the pants and tossed them to her before she climbed back in the car and changed.

"Okay Naveen, give it back." Esmeralda commanded but her tone was light.

"Not a chance, I haven't felt this comfortable in years." After some arguing between the two, he surrendered the shirt but held onto the skirt.

It was about twenty minutes since the hunt had begun and they already looked like a bunch of nut cases. Actually Naveen and Charming looked like a bunch of nut cases, the girls looked pretty nice. The t-shirt seemed to stick to Belle's figure, enhancing her womanly assets while still remaining modest, and Esmeralda's shirt stopped a couple inches above the top of Naveen's pants, which she had cuffed and secured low on her hips.

"Next we have to," Naveen paused momentarily, his face lighting up with a grin, "take a picture of two of us waltzing on the top of the front office." The group piled into his car, arguing over who would actually climb on the room the entire drive.

"No way. I'm not dancing on that roof." Belle stated stubbornly, crossing her arms and sitting on the hood of the car.

"I'm not either," Esmeralda protested, tossing back a long lock of hair. The boys looked at one another and shrugged before walking towards the building and scaling a tree. They had just reached the roof when Belle snapped to her senses.

"What are you guys doing?" She asked, her expression the picture of befuddlement. I chuckled at her confusion before gesturing to Naveen's apparel.

"He is wearing the right skirt for dancing," Charming joked before taking his friend's rough hand in his own and placing his palm on his waist.

"Wait, why do you get to be the guy?" He whined and Charming shot him a look. Was he seriously asking a question like that?

"You're the one who won't stop twirling." That shut him up and brought a smile to his face. They danced across the roof as Esmeralda took photos. They were having such a good time that they almost didn't hear the police sirens. Thankfully, they were two athletic guys with no qualms about jumping off roofs. The four teens rushed in to the car and were soon racing away in the car. No one spoke for several minutes and once they began, they couldn't stop. Excited chatter filled the car as they drove back to the park to complete another task. They spent the next hour or so doing odd challenges until only one remained.

"So, which one of you lovely ladies wants to kiss me?" Naveen asked cockily, he breathed into the palm of his hand before sniffing it.

"What are you doing?" Charming asked his friend, mystified as to why his friend would be sniffing his hand. Of course that was probably not the most questionable thing that Naveen had done moments before, but Charming could understand why Naveen offered to kiss someone. His friend was a teenage boy who would love to spend his entire life kissing a beautiful girl. He was also a teenage boy who was aware of the fact that Charming had never been kissed before.

"I want to make sure that I smell minty fresh," His tone indicating that his motivations should have been rather obvious. Esmeralda seemed to notice Belle's reservations about kissing a boy that she had met mere hours before and picked up two stones.

"Pucker up," She instructed and placed a stone on her head and his before giving him a feather-light kiss. Belle snapped the photo quickly and Charming was shocked at how fast the whole event had taken place.

"We're done!" Charming and Belle shouted as they rushed over to Phoebus, showing him the assortment of photos. The team was declared victorious and they danced around for about ten minutes before saying good bye and piling into the two cars.

"So, that was fun," Belle said quietly as she watched the clock tick. It was only eight thirty, but that meant that the teens had been tirelessly participating in the scavenger hunt for nearly four hours.

"Yeah it was," Her companion agreed, "So, are you hungry?"

"Oui oui," The girl nodded with a grin. Charming couldn't help but smile, he liked how his new friend would revert to native tongue when overly excited or anxious. It was a cute quirk that made interacting with her much more entertaining. It was soon brought to Damon Charm's attention that his new friend had never been to a McDonald's, despite their abundance across the globe, so he announced that would be where they ate.

He ordered them both Big Macs, chocolate shakes, and fries before leading Belle to a red and white plastic table.

"Do you normally come here to eat?" Belle examined the fast food restaurant.

"All the time after practice." He nodded his head and stood up to grab their order. He returned a minute later and set a toasty burger in front of the brunette. Belle wrinkled her nose nervously and bit her lip as she eyed the food on the table.

"What's wrong?" He looked at her apprehensively wondering if he had done something wrong.

"It's just, I don't eat meat." Her voice was only slightly louder than a whisper. Charming's expression became one of alarm as he tried to apologize to the French girl and stood up to get her something else.

"Sit down," she giggled and grabbed his arm, "I was only playing a punk on you," She explained in slightly fragmented English. Charming smiled and laughed along with Belle as she hungrily devoured her burger, exaggerating her enjoyment to a ridiculous level. Her theatrics would have put Charlotte LeBeouff to shame. He was so busy laughing at her antics that he didn't notice a pretty girl watching him and giggling to her friends. She had honey blonde hair, bright blue eyes, and was very, very interested in Damon Charm.

_**A/N:**_

_**Howdy Y'all,**_

_**So here's my second chapter. I was going to wait a couple days but received a sweet anon review and decided to write quickly and post it tonight. Anyways, here's a little bit of Charming's perspective on life. I wanted to give his character a fun night out with friends, new and old, but will write more about his uptight side later. He's a character who is constantly trying to live up to other people's expectations and, as a result, spreads himself far too thin. So I hope that you like the second chapter and that it makes you want to read more. Who knows, I might even get the next chapter up tomorrow. Anyways please comment and let me know what you think.**_

_**Much Love**_

_**-SSSTD**_


	3. Chapter 3

_**HANS**_

He didn't mean for it to happen. He had absolutely no intention of falling in love, but then again, most teenagers don't. He could still remember the moment that he first met her.

"_Come on, Hansy-Wansy," the freshmen's new friend, Gaston, teased as they walked towards the field for football tryouts. He punched his companion's muscled arm and sped up slightly so that the big teen couldn't get revenge. He had been running for less than a minute when he spotted her. She had hair white as snow carefully wrapped in an intricate bun and skin even paler. However her lips and cheeks were bright pink as she laughed at herself._

"_Z, please don't make me do this," She begged between giggles as she pulled at the blue and white cheerleading uniform._

"_Oh, come on, Elsa, you know you want to do it too. Look, we made the team so we have to try it for a little while, but, if you wan to quit in a week, you can. Okay?" A bubbly teen with long blonde hair offered. Elsa seemed to consider the girl's proposition for a moment before smiling and nodding her head. Hans couldn't help but notice how the blue uniform was the exact shade of her eyes and seemed to fit her slim figure perfectly._

"_You're going to pay for that you little," Gaston threatened good naturedly, but forgot what he was saying when he spotted the two girls, "Wait, are we going to get to watch the cheerleading practice?" He asked excitedly. For a split second, Hans wanted to hit his horny friend for eyeing the girls, but instead, he patted the beefy freshmen's back and guided him towards the group of boys who wanted to join the team as well._

"_Well, we might be a little busy," he joked. And he was right, the two boys were worked to death that day on the team but it all paid off when they were selected to compete and handed blue jerseys._

He tried to date other girls but it never felt quite right; he just couldn't get the composed cheerleader out of his head. Of course, her cheering him on at games didn't help matters. He liked to pretend that she was there for him rather than for the team, but she barely even knew who he was. This was something truly rare because Hans Elsker was supremely popular. He was Gaston's right hand man and the school's star running back.

"Hey, Han Solo," Gaston called out to him before rushing to keep up with the tall redhead.

"Yes, Dr. Banner?" He replied jokingly. Due to the quarterback's muscled physique and large size, many called him the Human Hulk; Hans just thought that Dr. Banner was a funnier nickname for the straight D student.

"Have you seen the new girl? I think her name is Belle Spiritu-something French-anyways, have you seen her?" He asked eagerly, scanning the halls for the pretty brunette. Hans was a bit flabbergasted by his buddy's new obsession simply because the girl was so bookish and reserved, two qualities that Gaston didn't normally find altogether dazzling. However, the girl was beautiful and refused to give Gaston the time of day, so perhaps it made sense after all.

"I have, but she was hanging out with Charming so," He trailed off, hoping to imply that the transfer student might be dating the class president and to discourage Gaston from pursuing her. She appeared to hate attention, something that his friend had been giving her far too much of.

"Shit, I got to go," He said quickly and raced down the hallway, no doubt o a mission to mark his territory and stop anyone from dating her. Hans took some comfort in the fact that Gaston was never enthralled by a particular girl for too long and, since it was already the third week of school, it was unlikely that he would be infatuated with her for much longer. Hans was an entirely different story; he was positive that he would be in love with the conservative cheer captain until the day he died. In fact, at that particular moment, Elsa Arendelle was walking down the hallway with her Rapunzel on their way to class. He couldn't hear quite what they were saying, but he could see her smile from a mile away. He knew that he needed to man up already and ask her out. It was his senior year and, in a mere ten months, she would be heading off to college. Thankfully, he actually had a class with her this year: Advanced Team Sports or, in other words, PE. He grabbed the last book out of his locker and slipped it into his backpack before heading to class.

Hans had never really like math; he wasn't much good at it. However, trigonometry was quickly becoming one of his favorite classes. On the very first day of school, Anna Arendelle, a junior and younger sister of Elsa Arendelle, befriended him and had invited him to join her team for a scavenger hunt that night. While it might not seem like much, it was more than Hans could have ever hoped for because it put him on a team with his crush. Anna was friendly and had a goofy enthusiasm that drew others to her.

"Okay, so I've been trying to figure out why you're so serious all the time," She began excitedly as soon as he was seated.

"Oh yeah?" He challenged, wondering what the redhead thought was his problem.

"Yep, I think you're in _love," _She sang, drawing out the last syllable until quite a few people were staring and Hans had to duck his head out of sight, "Oh my goodness, you are!" She exclaimed, taking his embarrassment as confirmation. She sat back in her chair, a smug smile playing on her pink lips. He was considering asking the perky teen for help with her older sister but held back; he wasn't sure that she wouldn't just gush about it to Elsa and ruin his chances altogether.

"I am not," He protested quietly before turning his attention to the teacher and the problems on the board. The rest of the class period passed by slowly as Anna leaned forward to whisper a name in his ear every twenty seconds. She seemed to be under the impression that if she guessed the right girl, he would tell her that she was right, but she was very wrong. Hans guarded that secret carefully, knowing deep in his heart that it was unlikely that Elsa would ever feel the same way. He wasn't a bad guy; he wasn't really a stand-up guy either. While he had never beaten anyone up, he was best friends with Gaston Salaud and was viewed as a bit of a jackass as a result of this. Of course, he was a hot jackass that girls fawned over and hoped that he would ask them out and, on occasion, he did. But it never lasted and so he left a string of broken hearts in his midst.

"Come on, please tell me who it is," Anna begged a couple minutes before the end of class, "Do I know her?" He weighed his options for a moment as he looked at the pretty girl's exasperated expression. He knew that she was desperate to find out who he liked.

"You know her, okay? But that's all I'm going to say on the matter." His statement only fueled the junior's interest in the subject and she proceeded to interrogate him for the last five minutes of class. Luckily, he managed to successful dodge all of her questions and rushed off to the locker room to change for his next class.

It smelled faintly like moldy gym socks and overwhelmingly like Axe deodorant in the dirty room. He was one of fifteen guys who were changing into the gym uniforms. He quickly pulled the itchy, blue cotton t-shirt over his head and wasted no time putting on the matching blue gym shorts and lacing up his running shoes. Overly fragranced places made Hans incredibly dizzy and he needed to get away from the massive cloud of body spray before he contracted a severe headache.

"Alright folks, today we are playing dodge ball. Team captains are Salaud and- let's split up the dream team-Elsker." Coach Phil ordered before gesturing for the two of us to step forward. He was a short, stout old man with a pink face and long goatee. Many of the student joked that he looked like a satyr due to his awkward gait and the way that bleated when upset.

"Hmmm, I'll take Phoebus," Gaston said quickly, pointing to the brawny blonde and shrugging at his friend apologetically. Phoebus was one of the most athletic kids at Once Upon A Time High and quite easily the most athletic in the PE class. Hans scanned my classmates, knowing that in order to beat Gaston, he would need to pick people with speed.

"Phillip," He called up the lanky track star with short-cropped brown hair and long legs that would help him avoid the flying, red dodgeballs.

"Eric," Gaston selected the pale rower. The rest of the selection went by uneventfully until they reached the girls. There were only four girls in the PE class mainly because most girls would rather take a different elective.

"Aurora," He said and a slender junior joined him. From what Hans had heard, she had tried to get into the yoga class but it was overbooked so she was put here instead. She didn't seem too beat up about it though and walked over to her new team, high-fiving several of the guys. Hans looked at the three remaining girls and knew that he should pick Meg, a slightly snarky member of the girl's basketball team but chose another instead.

"Elsa," She looked at him with brief confusion at being chosen before her somewhat bitchy friend but quickly recovered and walked over. Meg joined Gaston's team and Hans' team got Lottie, an effervescent blonde who had joined the class as a way to find the perfect beau. They all quickly gathered at opposite ends of the court, eyeing the row of red foam balls at the dividing line. The whistle sounded and a mad dash to hit the other team ensued. People were dropping like flies as Phoebus and Gaston pelted student after student. Thankfully, Phillip was zooming around and catching balls left and right to help his team. Hans was about to catch a rogue ball when he saw Elsa gracefully dodge a ball by leaping over it. She then landed on the ground and completed a small somersault before hitting Meg in the ankle with a dodge ball. The reaction from both sides was quite ridiculous. Meg crumpled dramatically as if she had been shot, all the while laughing.

"My Achilles heel," she exclaimed, causing her "murderer" to break down laughing as well. Phoebus was watching rather amused at their antics but Gaston seemed a little upset that his star catcher was going to be out for a while. The rest of the class was amazed by the petite girl's burst of athleticism-which shouldn't have been so surprising given the fact she was captain of the cheer squad and a member of the gymnastics team- and in stitches at the charade.

"Hilarious," Coach Phil said sarcastically, "Now back to-" the class bell cut him off and the students rushed to the locker rooms to change frantically in the few minutes before lunch.

"That was pretty impressive," Hans complimented Elsa once they were, once again, dressed in their drab uniforms.

"Thank you," She said hesitantly, obviously unsure why the athlete was talking to her as they had never really spoken before.

"So-" He began, hoping to start a sustainable conversation, but was cut off by the small girl.

"I'm sorry, I have to go." She stated firmly before speeding up and joining the new French girl. Hans didn't know why she wouldn't talk to him. He didn't think that he had been acting weird but, then again, his reputation preceded him and he must not have qualified as a clean-cut enough individual like all of her other friends. He purchased his lunch and had almost reached his friends when he heard a familiar female voice behind him.

"It's my sister, isn't it?" Anna asked softly, a big smile on her face indicating that it was taking her best effort not to squeal with excitement.

"No," Hans replied quickly, shocked that she had figured out in one day what most hadn't pieced together after three years.

"Yes you do, here, come with me." She looped a freckled arm around his own and tugged him away to a deserted tree and sat down. She patted the patch of grass next to her and, sighing, Hans occupied the spot.

"Why did you bring me here?" He asked, refusing to admit his feelings to her. Anna rolled her eyes before speaking.

"You know, I could help you. I'm her sister so I could-" He cut her off,

"What makes you so sure that I like her?" He asked defensively, truly curious as to how he gave himself away.

"Puh-lease, you should see the way that you look at her. Anyways, do you want my help or not?" Hans ran his options over in his head before slowly shaking his head.

"I want to see if I can do this on my own," He told her honestly. Hans needed to know if he could win over the reserved girl as himself before he participated in a ridiculous scheme to secure her affections. Slightly dejected, the junior nodded before changing the topic and happily chattering on about the Homecoming Dance that would take place in about a month. While he had no interest in what type of dress Anna would decide to wear or whether or not they would play a certain pop song, he enjoyed the girl's upbeat energy. It allowed him to think about other things like the upcoming game, his large homework load, and his unrequited crush. He quietly munched away at his salami, onion, and peanut butter sandwich and wondered how he would approach the slight teen again and, more importantly, what he would say. However, he had not come up with an answer to either question before the lunch period ended and he had to go to English. He stood up and threw away his food remnants, about to go to class when he heard someone approach him.

"Hey, Jasmine is hosting a party tonight, are you in?" Gaston boomed and Hans turned to face him, shrugging in response. The day wrapped up rather quickly and Hans was still at odds about the party as he climbed into his truck after football practice that night.

"I'm a little tired, I might just-"

"Don't say you're staying home. Come on man, it's a Friday night. You need to party a little," Gaston informed him and made him promise to meet him at the glitz mansion later that night. Reluctantly, the redhead agreed and sped off.

A shower, three burgers, and a three hour nap later, Hans entered the massive building that he didn't think could qualify as a mansion. It was far too big and secluded in a thick forest, as if it was its own little village. The ground shook slightly with the music and noise poured out from every window and door. A plethora of red solo cups covered the lawn and Hans smiled despite his earlier aversion to attending. Jasmine Raja was a sexy sophomore who was far more mature than most of the people in both the sophomore and junior class. She carried herself with an effortless elegance that drew boys in left and right but refused to date any of them. He was pretty sure that she didn't even drink but knew that a much-needed component of any high school party was alcohol. He could hear laughter over the music and walked into the stately home, ready to cut loose.

"Hey Hans, whazzup?" A drunk freshman slurred, obviously using the beer as liquid courage. Sober, the scrawny boy would have never dared approach the football star but with alcohol fogging his judgment, he was eager to talk to his idol.

"Yeah, hey buddy," Hans responded with a slight chuckle before helping the kid to the couch and taking his beer away. It wasn't right how young some kids started drinking-hilarious-but not right. He made his way to the keg and got a drink for himself and taking a long sip. The amber liquid buzzed his throat comfortably and relaxed him slightly but he was far from drunk; it would take several beers to intoxicate the large senior.

"Hey man, when did you get here?" Phoebus asked putting his friend in a hammerlock and giving him a noogie before leading him out to the backyard where his teammates were gathered. There were several others accompanying them by an Olympic sized pool. He sat down on the grass next to a couple of his friends: Adam Bête, Phoebus, and, of course, Gaston.

"So, have you seen Belle here?" Gaston asked his companions and they all shook their heads. Hans noticed that Adam seemed a little disgusted by the question; he wasn't Gaston's biggest fan and-from what Hans had heard-disapproved of the quarterback's desire to bed the new girl thoroughly. Apparently they were partners in French class.

"Anyways, are you guys ready for the game against Pixar Prep. Next week? I heard that Buzz Lightblast-or something like that- is pretty good," Phillip asked, sitting down next to the athletes. This launched a long conversation about the next couple games, which gave Hans plenty off time to flush the cup of beer out of his system so that he could drive home his drunk friends. He left the party around midnight but didn't return home until about two-not that his family minded. His parents had been killed in a car accident back when he was a little kid but he had his thirteen older brothers-four of which still lived at home-to act as his legal guardians. He was the last in a long line of partying athletes and, as a result of this, was given a lot of freedom. Despite his freedom, the teen lived a pretty normal life and backed out of the crazier situations that his friends tried to involve him in.

"So, fun night?" His twenty-five year old brother, Marcus, asked him as he rummaged through the fridge.

"Yeah, it was good. Nothing special," Hans responded, reaching over his brother's back to pull a coke out of the fridge. Marcus contented himself with making a sandwich and pulled the ingredients out before preparing it.

"Yeah, that's how they usually are. Anyways, Crackhead and Joey left for a fishing trip today and will probably be home Monday. Do you want a sandwich?" Crackhead was their straight edge brother who refused to drink alcohol or even associate with people who did drugs-thus he was branded with the unflattering nickname.

"Yeah, thanks" Hans pulled the jar of peanut butter out of the fridge and placed it on the marble counter before leaning against the pantry door. Marcus saw the peanut butter and grimaced slightly before placing a generous amount on his younger brother's sandwich. He had never understood Hans' extreme love of peanut butter on sandwiches and was rather disgusted by it.

"Dude, you need to work on the whole food thing before you get yourself a girlfriend," He warned before stuffing his sandwich in his mouth. Hans smiled and thanked him sarcastically before taking his socially unacceptable sandwich upstairs. He wondered if, perhaps, his culinary taste was what caused Elsa to abruptly leave him earlier that day. However, the thought quickly left his head as he bit into what he considered a delicacy. The sweet peanut butter perfectly complimented the sour mustard, salty pastrami, and juicy tomatoes. If anything, his taste in food should have drawn people to him.

_**A/N:**_

_**Howdy Y'all,**_

_**This chapter was soooo hard to write. At least four hours went into the writing of this so I hope you all like it. Normally, I'm not a Helsa shipper but I think that it will work quite nicely for this story. I want to apologize in advance to those who want Hans to be a complete asshole as well as to those who want him to be a misunderstood sweetheart. He's going to be a mix of both. He will make bad decisions, but he will also make many good ones, which makes him a balanced individual with bad taste in best friends. Also, Gaston will not be the villain to end all villains in this story but he will be a sexist pig and a bit of a bully. Now that I've apologized a bit, I want to thank you all for reading and urge you to comment and let me know what you think. Feedback is always greatly appreciated.**_

_**Much love,**_

_**-SSSTD**_


	4. Chapter 4

_**ESMERALDA**_

Esmeralda had never intended to seem mysterious or elusive. In fact, she had no idea that she was perceived this way, but she did notice the attention that followed her everywhere. It wasn't unwanted attention or stifling attention that made her feel like her life was on display, but, in the corner of her eye, she could always spot a few people who were watching her. She just assumed it was because she had popular friends or, perhaps, because she always seemed to be involved in cool events and activities. But to her classmates, Esmeralda was a diamond in the rough; a beautiful, witty, young woman who glided through life with ease. But Esmeralda didn't find herself particularly graceful; she had a fluidity to her that allowed her dance beautifully but got into more than her fair share of collisions in the hallway due to her clumsiness and her tendency to daydream.

She was just leaving English when she ran into someone else. She had been running through the moves from a new dance in her head in anticipation for a competition that weekend. The impact of the hit sent both parties sprawling on the floor.

"I'm so sorry," She apologized, laughing slightly at her own klutziness. She began to pick up her books and stood up while fixing her green shirt that had tangled itself during the fall.

"No, it was my fault. I wasn't looking where I was going. Are you okay?" A handsome blonde with bushy eyebrows and the beginnings of a goatee asked. She brushed him off, insisting that she was fine, but the teen refused to believe that she was alright.

"Honestly, Phoebus, I'm good," she laughed, exposing a row of pearly white teeth. Nonetheless, the football player walked her to her locker, already quite smitten with her.

"So, why haven't I seen you around before?" He asked her and Esmeralda felt a blush creep onto her cheeks. She was surprised by how interested he seemed in her and was rather flattered by it.

"How do you know that you haven't? She joked, her bright green eyes glowing with mirth. She looked into his dark eyes and couldn't help but feel at ease with him. He was so kind and calm; she could understand why so many girls were in love with the tall boy.

"Oh I know, I'm not sure I'd be capable of forgetting you." He said quickly and then flushed. He had clearly not planned on saying that last line out loud, but this only made Esmeralda's smile grow as she left him to join her friends.

"Maybe, we'll run into each other again soon," She said with a wink and strode over Charming and Belle, who were already seated under a tree. She sat down next to them, a small smile still playing on her face as she opened her brown paper bag and pulled out a sandwich.

"What's going on with you?" Damon Charm teased, "Has Phoebus placed his spell on you?" He had seen the brawny boy walk her to lunch and was a little upset that he had never considered him as a potential suitor for his friend before.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Esmeralda stated in mock seriousness before breaking down in giggles, "Is it that obvious?" Her dark haired friend laughed with her before pitching in.

"In French we'd say that you've been bitten by the _insecte d'amour_. How knows, maybe he's your soul mate," She smiled warmly at Esmeralda, her hopeless romantic side shining through. The petite brunette was always wrapped in some book and Esmeralda didn't doubt that it influence her perception of love. Belle soon change the subject and asked about big dance coming up. Apparently, Belle's old school didn't really have dances and she was both excited and anxious about the event. While Charming described the event in great detail to their new friend, Esmeralda thought about her encounter with the cute athlete and fantasized running into him again. Little did she know, Phoebus was doing the exact same thing. The rest of the day passed by quickly and, before she knew it, Esmeralda was walking home. She didn't live far from school and preferred to walk through the beautiful neighborhoods rather than sit inside a stuffy car; she liked the open air and freedom of traveling on her own two feet. It was a particularly nice day; the tree swayed softly with the cool autumn breeze, but the summer sun still shone brightly. As she reached a grassy field, she considered removing her sandals so that she could feel the slippery blades of grass between her toes, but was interrupted by the sound of someone clearing his throat behind her.

"Need a lift?" The boy, who had occupied her thoughts all day, asked. She weighed her choices in her head before sighing and responding.

"I like to walk, but thanks for the offer," She said kindly before continued along the edge of the field. She thought that he would drive off or try to persuade her to join him, but he did neither. Instead, he parked his car and began to walk with her.

"Do you mind if I walk with you?" He asked and she smiled easily before shaking her head. The two walked all the way to the end of the field before either spoke. Finally, when Esmeralda could not take the silence anymore, she said something.

"Why are you here?" she blurted and then cursed herself for how rude she sounded. Phoebus didn't seem to bother at all though and chuckled before answering her question.

"I wanted to know if you would like to go out with me some time," He asked sheepishly, enamored with the spirited girl. His cheeks flushed crimson and his companion felt the strong urge to kiss him. She'd never really been interested in any of the boys at her school before but something about the open boy drove her crazy. She didn't know if it was his dopey grin or confidence, either way, she was hooked.

"Well," she began seriously, "I don't usually date boys that I've just met, but here's my number." She pulled a purple pen and wrote seven digits on the boy's hand in cramped handwriting. She smiled at Phoebus before telling him that she had to go and racing around the corner, leaving a stunned young man in her midst. As soon as she knew he had driven away, she began to dance. She twirled, her skirt moving as if it had a mind of it's own. A sudden rush of adrenaline allowing her to execute several leaps and cartwheels. She was feeling so high on life that she almost didn't hear the strangled yelps across the street. Thankfully, she did and was able to dash across the rough pavement-she had removed her shoes-to locate the source. There was a short, stocky boy curled in a bloody mess, yelping in pain as an older boy kicked him in the ribs. If she had stood around and watched, she would have realized that it was Gaston Salaud picking on a sophomore, but she was too busy prying the enormous senior off the boy.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" She demanded angrily once he had turned to face her. She couldn't believe the cruelty in some people.

"I was just taking care of something," He gave her a once over, a lecherous smile forming, "I would be happy to take care of you as well." She looked down quickly and saw that her skirt was askew and her blouse had become untucked and fallen forward, exposing a thin strip of tan skin and a good deal of her chest. Fueled by disgust at the perverted brute, she kneed him in the groin before kneeling next to the boy on the ground.

"You little bitch," he shouted angrily, "You will regret that." He vowed before walking towards his sleek convertible and driving away. His victim seemed to flinch away from the girl's touch as she attempted to assess his injuries. He had a large lump on his face, which covered most of a green eye, and his other eye was rimmed with a purple bruised. Blood spurted from his large, round nose and Esmeralda was overcome with compassion for the injured boy.

"It's okay, I'm not going to hurt you," She assured him before fixing her blouse and ripping off one of the sleeves and shredding it into a small piece of fabric to staunch the blood flow. She wimped slightly at the movement and she lifted his shirt to find black bruises blossoming across him ribcage. After determining that nothing was broken, she helped him up and promised that she would tell the school board and police.

"Please don't," He pleaded, speaking for the first time, "I don't want everyone to know. I'm Quasimodo by the way." His voice was soft, quavering slightly and, despite her thirst for justice, she acquiesced to the boy's demands. She helped the boy home, her pleasant moment with Phoebus long forgotten.

"So, why was Gaston messing with you?" She asked as they were nearing Quasimodo's house. He fidgeted with his hands uncomfortably for a moment before answering her.

"I did his research essay for him and he got a lousy grade on it," He said, clearly embarrassed, "I tried to tell him that I was a horrible writer but he didn't listen." Esmeralda's posture stiffened as she processed what her new friend had said.

"I'm sorry, are you sure that you don't want me to tell anyone? We could stop him for good if we did." She inquired, hopeful that he would agree, but he shook his head sadly and walked inside the house. She called out to him just as he was opening the front door and got his number, making him promise to let her know if it happened again. She had a feeling that it was a more regular occurrence than the lonely sophomore had let on. That night as she laid in her bed, Esmeralda tried to think of something that she could do to help those who were being bullied by Gaston; she knew that Quasimodo wasn't the only victim and she also knew that no one was going to stop him.

_**A/N:**_

_**Howdy Y'all,**_

_**Sorry that it's so short but, fingers crossed, the next chapter will be much longer. Anyways, I'm pretty excited for the next chapter. I won't tell you who will be the focus, but I will give you a hint: it will be a guy. Here's a little bit of Gaston being a jackass. I was originally going to write Hans in with him but ultimately decided that he wasn't that cruel. Please let me know what you think.**_

_**Much Love,**_

_**-SSSTD**_


	5. Chapter 5

_**ADAM BÊTE**_

He knew what people thought of him. Adam was completely aware of the fear and admiration that he seemed to instill in his classmates. He liked it. He liked not having to talk to others; he loved being able to dictate how he wished to live his own life. But it was a rather lonely existence, which is why he had a couple people that, if push came to shove, he could call friends. There was one thing that he was passionate about: art. He loved how he could create his own world with the help of some pens and paintbrushes; his hands never sat still. He thought himself as a photographer of sorts, capturing beauty through canvas rather than a lens. Adam was a tall, muscled individual who probably would have been a spectacular athlete if he had any interest in playing sports. Instead, he used his strong hands to turn ordinary supplies into magnificent works of art-not that he would ever show his work to anyone. In fact, he puts a considerable amount of effort into hiding his talents, which is why he was irked by his new French partner who seemed very interested in his creative side.

"Qu'est-ce que vous dessinez?" The beautiful brunette asked, trying to catch a glimpse of his doodle. He looked up at her with a hostile scowl.

"What?" He growled, wishing that she would just go back to silently filling out her worksheet.

"What are you drawing?" She translated, a little miffed by the boy's surly attitude. He shifted himself, trying to put more distance between the two of them, but he was already at the edge of his seat. He settled for covering his drawing wit his right hand and continuing to sketch with his left. He was ambidextrous, a quality that came in handy with his nosy classmates.

"Nothing," He muttered before looking Belle in the eyes and returning to his work. Truth be told, he was drawing her-actually he was drawing her eyes. On a small scrap of binder paper, he had etched the outline of her round eyes but had placed the faint outline of a beast within. He had heard her friend, Lottie, giggle about it once and knew that the vapid blonde would have never looked up the English translation for his name herself. That's what his new classmate saw him as: a beast. If he was being honest with himself, Adam would admit that it was what most people saw him as; at times, it just had a different meaning. His friends, or close acquaintances anyways, thought he was a beast: n. perceived badass who disregarded authority and could take on just about anybody in a fight. Girls saw him as beast: n. cruel, handsome man full of mystery. What he couldn't figure out was what his definition was. He turned the thought over and over in his head until he came up with a work-in-progress definition. Beast: n. someone who doesn't care enough to function. He was lying to himself; he cared far too much about his shortcomings to open up to anyone and, instead, settled for living a quiet life detached from his peers.

"It's clearly _not _nothing," Belle argued, craning her neck to see the drawing. Thoroughly annoyed by her, he picked his head up about to tell her to shut up when she snatched the paper from him and held it in her delicate hands. She gasped in appreciation before touching one of the colorless irises with her finger. She recognized the eye shape as her own and wondered why closed off teen had decided to use her as a model. She was also confused by the hulking figure that was sketched so small inside the eye. It appeared to be some sort of howling animal.

"I'll take that back," He said angrily, wrenching the slip of paper out of the French girl's hands.

"Is it me?" She asked quietly, unsure how to proceed with the hostile teenager. Adam didn't know how to respond so he didn't; he just stare at the girl until she nodded, her suspicions confirmed. She didn't talk to him for the rest of the class period and he was grateful. He didn't like having to come up with the right words to say to her and he didn't want to offend the girl. She was so sweet and innocent, pure of all the evils that plagued society. He still didn't want anything to do with her though because then he wouldn't be alone; he would have to answer to someone other than himself.

"You know, you're a wonderful artist." Belle said quietly, her voice barely audible over the ringing of the bell. The slender brunette quickly headed towards her next class but Adam was momentarily paralyzed. He was stunned by her sincerity and kindness, shocked that she was still being sweet as a peach to him even though he had been a real ass towards her since the first day of school. He recovered and sprinted to his next class because had only a minute before the art class began.

Technically, he wasn't enrolled in the school's art program. He had a free period but had worked out a bargain with the teacher; he could use the supplies and work on his own in the back of the classroom so long as he helped clean up after class. Sometimes this meant that he had to stay after school for an extra half hour and watch paint off the desks, but, normally, it just meant that he needed to sweep up some extra craps of paper and pull a few pencils out from underneath the tables. Truthfully, he would have done just about anything to be able to use the supplies. The best part about the arrangement was the fact that he wasn't enrolled in the class; he didn't have to display his work in the cafeteria or tell anyone about his hidden talent, it was his little secret. Adam entered the colorful room and was gagged by the aroma of acrylic paints. He decided not to use the supplies intended for that class and, instead, he pulled out a some charcoal pencils and a kneaded gum eraser. He returned to his seat, pulled out his beloved sketchbook, and began to draw. He started with soft fluid lines, a smoky outline, and began to slowly put more pressure on the dark pencils and move them in more angular motions. Soon, he was stabbing the page, leaving jet-black imprints on the white paper as he attempted to complete his picture. He was so caught up in making sure that he properly depicted his idea that he didn't really stop to think about what he was slaving away over. He was startled when he looked back at his sketchbook at the end up the class period. In various shades of black and gray, he had drawn a girl looking wistfully at something. Her eyes were clearly focused on something and her neck was strained as she craned her body towards the thing she was trying to get a good look at. What surprised him was the obstacle between the girl and the item; it was a boy which long hair and hunched shoulders. He couldn't see the boy's face but he knew that he had drawn himself and Belle. He had recreated the scene in French class from his memory, sculpting a image out of his perception of the incident. He didn't know what to do with the picture he had drawn and began to think of ways to get rid of it. He could recycle it or toss it into the paper shredder, but he liked the drawing in a weird way that he couldn't quite explain. Perhaps it was because it was lifelike or because it had taken him the entire class period to draw, but Adam knew, deep down, that he didn't care about either of those two factors. He liked having a scrap of proof that there were truly good people out there and that someone cared.

That night, he hung the drawing above his desk as a small glimmer of hope in, what he thought to be, a cruel world. It was the first thing that he saw every morning and the last he saw each night, proving to be very therapeutic for the hotheaded teen. Whether she knew it or not, the French girl was already changing the Beast; slowly but surely, she was opening him to the possibility of love.

_**A/N:**_

_**Howdy Y'all,**_

_**Sorry that this is even shorter than the previous chapter but I promise that I tried. I spent at least eight hours on this chapter trying to expand but couldn't. Despite its length, I'm pretty proud of it because I think that it really shows how Adam Bête is feeling and depicts how Belle is starting to chip away at his stony exterior. Feedback is greatly appreciated but I do have one request. This request is mainly for the guest readers but can apply to anyone who reviews. Please don't post a review that only says "hurry up" or "update faster" because this doesn't motivate me to update faster; it frazzles me because I think that I'm going too slow and stalls my writing even more. I can't write well under pressure so please don't create any. I love reading reviews that say that you can't wait for an update or something like that because it lets me know that you enjoy the story and inspires me to create more for you, but just be careful not to simply ask for more. Also, I think that I've been updating rather rapidly; I started this story three days ago and already I have five chapters up. Enough of that though, I want to thank all of you wonderful people for reading my story and helping me as a writer and I hope to have another chapter up by Monday.**_

_**Much Love,**_

_**-SSSTD**_


	6. Chapter 6

**HERCULES**

Hercules had always been childishly naïve; he was a sweet, lovable guy who made friends wherever he went, but was too kind for his own good. He refused to believe the worst of people and, as a result, was often duped by his fellow classmates. Hercules Strong was a tall, brawny teen that made girls swoon and guys treat him with respect and admiration. He had only attended Once Upon A Time High for a week but he was already loved. Despite his childlike innocence, he was a rather intelligent junior who, much like a certain young French girl, had landed himself in several senior classes. This was also partially due to the fact that he had recently moved to the states from Greece and was ahead of most of the kids in his grade. Oddly enough, the teen didn't have much of a foreign accent and fit the stereotype of the all-American football player perfectly. In fact, he was so obviously quarterback material that Gaston Salaud was attempting to befriend him and secure his position.

"Hey Herc," The dark haired teen called out to the guy he was trying desperately to recruit. Gaston knew the only way his social standing as the most popular and feared guy in school was safe was if he managed to get the new kid to join his pack of thugs.

"Oh, Gaston, what's up?" The Greek boy asked as he grabbed several books from his locker. He was rather shocked by his popularity at his new school because he was mocked and ridiculed at his old school for his small size and clumsiness. He had grown several inches over the summer and bulked up considerably but he was still a massive klutz. Lucky for him, the girls at his new school found that quality endearing.

"Well, have you considered trying out for the football team? I know we're already halfway through the season, but I think that Coach Phil would let you join late. Anyways, it will definitely help you get a date to the homecoming dance." Gaston said with a wiggle of his brows and a pointed glance towards a rather attractive senior. Hercules gulped nervously; he didn't know how to respond to his new friend. He had no idea what homecoming was and didn't know how to play football. On occasion, he had watched the game so that he could fit in once he got to America, the only country in the world that actually played football, but he always got bored and switched to his football or, as the Americans called it, soccer. However, he did want an excuse to ask the funny, dramatic, and sarcastic senior and his homeroom to dance. She was tall with long reddish brown hair, violet eyes, and curves in all the right places. He couldn't help but go slack jawed in her presence and she couldn't help but mock him for it. During homeroom the day before, Hercules had just sat down in his seat when Megara walked in with her friend Elsa laughing harder than he had ever seen anyone laugh before and he knew that he was hooked. The petite blonde sat down in the front row while her much taller and spunkier friend plopped down right next to Hercules.

"Hey Megara," He began,

"My friends call me Meg," He felt his heart surge with hope and a stupid smile crawled onto his face, "On second though, let's stick with Megara." Cold disappointment coursed through him as his smile turned into a grimace as he busied himself with his history homework. He felt her gaze on him for a few moments longer before she lost interest in him and began talking the girl on the other side of her. He had spent the rest of the day trying to come up with something clever to say to her the next day but to no avail; he was doomed.

"Hey, Hercules, you there?" Gaston asked loudly while waving his hand in front of the daydreamer's face.

"Yeah, I'm well." He said quickly and awkwardly; his English, while very good, still had a lot of room for improvement.

"Hey Meg, baby, are you free next Saturday night?" Gaston called out to beautiful teen. He watched in amazement as Meg gave Gaston a seductive smile before responding.

"Hmm, Homecoming? I thought you had your eye on a certain French girl," She paused for a moment waiting for the attractive dark haired young man to confirm what she had said, but continued when he remained silent, "I'll keep you posted." She gave him a quick wink before walking off to class, swaying her hips in a way that made her short, plaid skirt appear even shorter.

"How did you do that?" Hercules asked in amazement.

"Join the team." And with that, Gaston left to attend Rudimentary Algebra 2. Hercules mulled over the jock's suggestion all day; he didn't know much about football but he did know that he wanted to impress Meg so that afternoon he approached Coach Phil. The Physical education teacher was an intimidating, little man. He had a large pot belly that poked out from underneath his ugly blue and white striped polo and a long whisp of dark brown hair that clung to his chin but the serious expression he wore made him a rather scary man.

"I want to join the football team," The hunky team said nervously. The stout coach looked him over for a moment before asking him if he knew how to play the game and the poor boy could only shake his head.

"So you want to be an athlete whoop de doo," he began sarcastically, "I've been around the block before with blockheads just like you. Come back here when you know how to play." Just then, when it seemed as though as all hope was lost, an aggressive dark haired boy dashed across the beautiful field towards them.

"So what position did he give you?" He asked Hercules excitedly but the disappointed teen could only shake his head and signify that he hadn't made the cut. Normally this kind of news, information that he was secure in his position as the top dog at school, would thrill Gaston and allow him to leave what ever poor kid he had been tormenting alone. But, for some strange reason, he had a miniscule change of heart, a moment of sympathy that pushed him to help his new, foreign friend. Whether it was getting to second base with the busty blonde in his math class or getting an extra slice of cake at lunch, the world with never know.

"Come on Coach," The brutish quarterback pleaded, "This guy is huge. We could definitely use him on the team," He paused for a moment, giving the grumpy man time to think it over.

"Alright, meet me on the field in twenty minutes," He ordered Hercules before walking off, muttering darkly to himself. Hercules gulped apprehensively, desperately praying that it was all worth it in the end.

**Howdy Y'all,**

**I'm so incredibly sorry that it has been so long since I have posted anything. However, it couldn't be helped. I just got back a week ago from a month and a half long trip with spotty at best Wi-Fi. But I'm back and ready to write my heart out. I had a bit of trouble writing this chapter mainly because I knew that I wanted Hercules, Phil, and Meg to be a part of the story but was having difficulty finding a way to tie them into the plot. Anyways, now they are a part of Once Upon A Time High and I can sleep happy**** I'm sorry that this chapter isn't too long but I didn't really want to write another several pages about Herc learning how to play football and his story can't progress any further than that yet. To answer some requests: I have tried writing a Mulan chapter several times and will continue playing around with the idea but, for the time being, she will remain a minor character. I have also started a Cinderella chapter that needs a lot of work. That will probably be posted in about a week or so, but I think I might write either a Hans or Elsa chapter in the meantime. I'm also playing around with making Gaston a main character so let me know if you want to see the inner workings of his misogynistic, perverted, dim witted mind.**

**-SSSTD**


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